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The election marked the conclusion of a five-day meeting that gathered the elected NEC officers, committee chairs, ministers of the 30 regional fraternities or their delegates, the CNSA – the four national spiritual assistants who represent the Franciscan friars: OFM, OFM Conventual, OFM Capuchin, and Third Order Regular (TOR), and observers. The new national priority developed by a task force is “Living the Gospel.” This priority emphasizes build-ing relationships, inspiring others to seek God, forming ourselves in the Franciscan way of life, attracting vocations, and working to rebuild the Church.

Jane DeRose-Bamman, minister of the Secular Franciscan Order-USA, began her State of the Order at the National Chapter on Sept. 10, 2025, with words of inspiration taken from a 2018 letter by Tibor Kauser, minister general: “Our goal is to become holy, to show God’s love to the world, to make the life of others better, to get closer to God and to bring others closer to God.”